Clothing and styles suggestions for 25 y/o female traveling to Brazil!
 

I'll be going to Salvador and Rio for approximately a month in July. I'm female, 25, and slightly heavy (approximately US size 12, 38DD), and 5'10. My style is fashion forward and I wear clothes that are flattering to my hourglass figure---wide hips, broad shoulders and bust, although I'm lacking a butt :( I also wear a US women's size 11/12 shoe.

I love to shop, and my intention was to pack few clothes and make purchases for clothing and shoes while abroad. My concern is that my size (clothing and shoes) are just too big for what is the norm in Brazil--specifically what I could find in malls in Rio or Salvador. Any suggestions?

I also would like to go to the beach, but am hesitant about wearing a 2 piece swimsuit--even though I know I'll stick out like sore tourist thumb if I wear a one piece. I have lower belly pudge, but am relatively athletic and semi-lean as far as everything else goes. Will I be able to find any suits in Brazil that would be flattering or should I just bring a couple suits from home?

I appreciate any suggestions--especially relative to the areas I'll be in and the weather expected this time of year.

Your size isn't unknown in Brazil, whatever fond imaginings you may have about the place, although the absence of a bum will set you apart. :-) I suspect you will have a harder time finding shoes in your size. If you are comfortable in flip flops then you'll find men's Havaianas readily enough.

Larger sizes in clothing, you'll find in most chains, like C&A, Marisa, Riachuelo etc etc.

One piece swimsuits are also not entirely unknown. Bear in mind that July isn't, by local standards, ideal beach weather in either city. Water will be cold in Rio and you will probably get your fair share of rain in Salvador.

Bottom line is wear what you feel comfortable in. Not every Brazilian is a svelte clone of Gisele Bündchen or Juliana Paes. Many if not most Brazilians are quite happy in their own skins, you should be too. Pointless trying to dress in the vain hope you won't be recognised as a gringa. There's a thousand things that will give the game away apart from clothes.

Enjoy your trip.

Weather2travel.com Climate guides Brazil

Brazilbeaches.org

Shopping is great there think u will be just fine

All different types of folks with a very relaxed view lf body images

So odds are great u will be just fine with your plan

Nexussurf.com Florianopolis my fav that time of year 42 perfect beaches

Maybe Iguazu awesome if time down there

Thanks for the replies! I definitely didn't have a crazy assumption that every Brazilian woman mirrors Gisele, but my main concern was that I'd have a hard time finding clothing to fit as I have a tall and medium-large frame. My broad shoulders and wide hips give me trouble in the US sometimes, and it's a definite no-go when I travel to Asia. I just wasn't sure if I'd end up wearing the same 7 articles of clothing I plan to bring for the entirety of my time there!

I'm sure I'll be recognized as a tourist as soon as I open my mouth, but when I travel internationally I prefer to dress similar to my environment so as not to make myself as much of an obvious target--as well as to avoid dressing in a way that could be seen as offensive or self-depreciative. I had heard that one-piece suits were virtually unheard of in Brazil--but it's nice to hear that's not necessarily the case. :)

Plenty of foreign of foreigners wear one pieces and a few locals too. After our second child my wife agonised between a one piece and two piece.

A more revealing kind is made locally, try searching for 'maiô' as opposed to biquini.

The more revealing and expensive model:

http://www.lojadebiquini.com.br/pt/maios-82/

The downmarket version:

http://www.marisa.com.br/ListaProdut...CategoriaId=34

BTW if you decide you want to change, you'll find vendors selling biquinis on the beach in both cities. You just try them on, there on the sand. If you are overly worried about your belly you can always wrap a canga around your waist.

Quite a few tallish well built women in Brazil as you would expect in an ethnically diverse country.

Two common saws you see on travel fora about safety in Brazil. First that you should 'dress down'. Unfortunately some foreign tourists take this as a suggestion to look like vagrants. Most Brazilians will dress as well as they can afford to and are invariably neatly dressed, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

Women will follow whatever prevailing trend there is although overall the emphasis is on a relaxed style. Had you turned up a couplef years ago you would have find that everything Indian was all the rage, due to a popular novela screening on Globo. I still have god knows how many faux indian cushion covers thanks to Caminho das Índias. :-(

The other one you see frequently repeated is 'no jewellery'. Well, OK probably wise not to walk around wearing the entire store contents of H.Stern, Aspreys or Tiffany or looking like some early '90s gangster rapper, principally on the grounds of good taste but this is another omeltte that gets overegged on travel fora. My wife wears jewellery, some of it quite expensive, subtle but expensive. Most Brazilan women I know don;t go out completely unadorned either. There are countless thousands of jewellers in Brazil and they must be selling it somewhere.

Enjoy your holiday and take your cue from the people you see about you.